How many units can I build on my lot in Richmond?

Most former single-family lots in Richmond now allow up to 4 dwelling units on a standard lot larger than 280 m², and 3 units on a smaller lot. Up to 6 units is possible, but - unlike most Metro Vancouver cities - Richmond ties the 5th and 6th units to an affordable-housing density bonus on qualifying lots near frequent transit. Run your address to get the figure for your specific parcel.

Which Richmond zone allows small-scale multi-unit housing?

Richmond created a dedicated RSM (Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing) zone to implement Bill 44, applied to former RS1/RS2 single-detached lots. It comes in four lot-size categories - RSM/S, RSM/M, RSM/L, and RSM/XL. The older RD1 (Two-Unit Dwellings) zone also carries the small-scale multi-unit rules. If your property is in one of these, a multiplex is permitted outright.

Do I need to rezone to build a multiplex in Richmond?

No. In the RSM and RD1 zones, small-scale multi-unit housing is a permitted use, so an eligible project proceeds to development and building permits rather than a discretionary rezoning. You still have to meet the zone's floor-area ratio, coverage, height, and setback rules - and, for 6 units, the affordable-housing requirement.

Why would my Richmond lot only allow 2 or 3 units?

A few situations hold the number down: a lot of 280 m² or less caps you at 3 units; a lot not connected to municipal water and sewer, or a heritage-protected property, can fall back to fewer units; and land inside the Agricultural Land Reserve is outside the SSMUH framework entirely. Lots inside a Provincial Transit-Oriented Area are also excluded - they follow higher-density transit rules instead.

How is buildable area measured in Richmond?

Richmond regulates density with floor-area ratio (FAR). In the RSM zone a multiplex is generally FAR 0.55, rising to 0.60 with the affordable-housing density bonus, within a 10 m / 2.5-storey envelope and about 45% lot coverage. Larger lots have the base FAR applied to a capped portion of the lot area, with a lower ratio on the balance.

Bill 44 · SSMUH · Richmond

RSM Zoning in Richmond: How Many Units Can You Build?

Q: Why does Richmond require affordable housing for 6 units?

Richmond structured its RSM zone so that going from 4 units to 6 is a density bonus. To build the 5th and 6th units on a qualifying lot, the owner must either pay a set contribution into the City's affordable housing reserve or provide affordable units on site. It is the main way Richmond's Bill 44 rollout differs from Surrey, Burnaby, and Vancouver, where the 6-unit tier is driven purely by transit proximity.

Richmond built a dedicated RSM zone to allow small-scale multi-unit housing outright. Here's what your lot likely allows now - 3, 4, or 6 units - and the affordable-housing catch that makes Richmond different.

Updated July 2026

Bill 44 map See what your Richmond lot can hold

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Until 2024, most residential lots in Richmond were limited to a single house - often with a secondary suite. That changed when the province passed Bill 44, the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) legislation, and Richmond responded by creating a brand new RSM zone so that small multiplexes are permitted outright on ordinary lots.

The short version: a standard Richmond lot (larger than 280 m²) now permits up to 4 dwelling units - and up to 6 units where the owner takes on an affordable-housing contribution near frequent transit. Secondary suites count toward the total.

Small lot Up to 3 units 280 m² or less Standard lot Up to 4 units Larger than 280 m² With affordable-housing bonus Up to 6 units Qualifying lot near frequent transit The honest caveat

These are the framework numbers from Richmond's RSM and RD zone schedules. Your actual entitlement depends on lot area, transit proximity, servicing, and heritage status - and a few situations (lots off municipal water/sewer, heritage properties, Agricultural Land Reserve parcels, or Transit-Oriented Areas) change the answer. The 6-unit tier in particular carries an affordable-housing requirement. Always confirm against the current bylaw - or just run your address and let ZoneScout pull the figure for your parcel.

What Bill 44 actually requires

Bill 44 - the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, passed in late 2023 - requires most BC municipalities over 5,000 people to allow Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing on land previously reserved for single-family homes or duplexes. The provincial minimums are:

At least 3 units on most lots previously zoned single-family or duplex.
At least 4 units on lots larger than roughly 280 m².
Up to 6 units on larger lots within 400 m of frequent (bus or rail) transit service.

Richmond met these requirements by creating a new zone rather than editing its old single-family districts - and the 280 m² lot-area threshold in the bylaw maps directly onto the provincial line.

How Richmond implemented it: the RSM zone

Instead of folding SSMUH into its existing RS1/RS2 single-detached zones, Richmond created a dedicated RSM - Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing zone and applied it across eligible residential neighbourhoods. It comes in four lot-size categories:

RSM/S, RSM/M, RSM/L, RSM/XL: the same small-scale multi-unit rules, sorted into Small, Medium, Large, and Extra-Large lot categories so setbacks and siting scale with the parcel. All four permit up to 4 units by right and up to 6 with the affordable-housing density bonus.
RD1 - Two-Unit Dwellings: Richmond's older duplex zone also now carries the multi-unit rules, with the same 6-unit density-bonus path near a bus stop.
RS1 / RS2 - Single Detached: the legacy single-family zones being transitioned; lots here are the ones most often rezoned or redesignated into RSM as they redevelop.

In the RSM and RD1 zones this is outright - permitted by the zone - so an eligible project goes straight to development and building permits instead of a rezoning.

What actually drives your unit count

Lot area

Richmond uses the provincial line: a lot of 280 m² or less is capped at 3 units, and a lot larger than 280 m² allows up to 4 outright. A typical Richmond residential lot sits comfortably above the threshold.

The affordable-housing density bonus

This is where Richmond differs from its neighbours. The jump from 4 to 6 units is a density bonus, not an automatic entitlement: on a qualifying lot near a bus stop (but outside a Transit-Oriented Area), the owner must either pay a set contribution into the City's affordable housing reserve or provide affordable units on site. In Surrey and Burnaby, the 6-unit tier is driven purely by transit proximity - Richmond attaches a cost to it.

Servicing, heritage, and the ALR

Three things quietly cap a lot: not being connected to municipal water and sewer, being a heritage-protected property, and sitting inside the Agricultural Land Reserve - ALR parcels are outside the SSMUH framework entirely. It's worth checking all three before you count on a multiplex.

Floor-area ratio, not just coverage

Like Surrey, Richmond controls size with floor-area ratio. An RSM multiplex is generally FAR 0.55, rising to 0.60 with the affordable-housing bonus, within a 10 m / 2.5-storey envelope and roughly 45% lot coverage. On larger lots the base ratio applies to a capped portion of the lot with a lower ratio on the balance.

Transit-Oriented Areas are different

If your lot falls inside a Provincial Transit-Oriented Area (around the Canada Line stations and major exchanges), the SSMUH rules don't apply - those lots are governed by higher-density transit-oriented rules that typically allow far more than 6 units. Run your address to see which framework applies to you.

Next steps for your lot

Run your address to get the exact permitted unit count and buildable envelope.
Compare with what Surrey lots allow, what Vancouver allows under R1-1, and what Burnaby allows under R1.
Browse the Richmond zoning guide for a breakdown of every residential and mixed-use zone.
Confirm figures against the City of Richmond's official Zoning Bylaw before designing or applying.

Richmond zoning map

Ready to check your own lot?

Search your address to open the exact lot on the map. ZoneScout checks its unit band and the rule that applies to it.

Frequently asked questions

How many units does your Richmond lot allow?

Enter your Richmond address and ZoneScout returns your permitted unit count, buildable floor area, height, and setbacks - cited from the RSM zone schedule.

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